Thoughts on Productivity

In my last post, I lamented that I haven't been very productive recently and that I haven't had time to sew at home because life has been filled with lots of other things that had to be addressed before I could sit and sew just for the sake of sewing. 

But...I did sew while I was in VA and that was wonderful. Truth be told though, I was working on projects that I kind of "had" to do. The Fall Foliage quilt below is a pattern by Krista Moser and since I will be facilitating a workshop she is teaching at Chestnut Ridge Sewing next week, I figured I had better get my quilt top done so I can help as needed and know what I'm talking about. LOL  I am very happy with the result!

This next quilt is a Bargello that I made using two identical 2.5" strip sets. The packages were a Fossil Fern - Bright from Benartex.

This is the second quilt I've made like this, but this time I was writing my steps as I was making it. I showed some people my first quilt and they asked me to create a class for it. Of course I said yes, but with the qualification that I had no idea when that would happen.

Since I was "exploring" when making the first quilt, I took my time while making the second quilt and jotted down notes about seam allowance, pressing, cutting, etc. It added time to the process, but that's ok. I need to do that when I'm making a quilt for a class - especially when I'm winging it. LOL  Here is a picture of the top half of the first quilt. Jack and I were playing with border ideas and snapped this picture. I do not have a picture of the completed quilt or top, but will try to get one soon. These strip sets were batiks, but I don't the information handy to share right now.

This quilt does not need a border and I won't be putting one on the second quilt. It is already a pretty good size at approx. 65" x 84". But, Jack liked the idea of making the first quilt a bit larger, so we decided to add two borders - one small framing border, and then a larger outer border. I am happy with both quilts - with and without a border.

So...back to my comment about productivity. I have come to realize that sometimes making a quilt with a deadline or because I "have" to is not fun. It changes my mood and I often feel stressed or anxious when I'm doing it. That is NOT what I want my quilting to be! 

Jump ahead to an email I received this morning from Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting in which she discussed how to be more productive. Of course my interest was piqued, so I clicked on the link and was happy to read that she was saying that it really isn't all about making MORE quilts, or keeping up with Sally who makes six quilts a week. She gives us permission to sew with fabrics we love, take a break when we don't feel like quilting, and to sew in a way that we can embrace the process. You can read the article HERE. 

Sew...give yourself some love and don't make excuses when you need a break.  💗